Eleven-year-old Luis Reteguin is being called a hero after fighting off an intruder in his family's home on the Northwest Side Friday.

A man smelling of alcohol and carried a knife broke into the home at about 1 a.m. and entered Luis' mother's bedroom.

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"I got off the bed quickly and screamed, 'Who are you, let me see your face.' We struggled but he knocked me down," Susana Reteguin said.

Luis heard the commotion and rushed into the room.

"I heard my mom screaming for help. She was bleeding. I started to punch the guy in the face. I think he had glasses because I saw them later on the floor, then he pushed me in the bathroom and started stabbing me," Luis said.

The boy suffered knife cuts to his hands and face, but continued to fight, grabbing a knife in the kitchen.

"The knife broke in two pieces so I punched him in the face. I was going to punch him again, but when he saw me on the phone, he took off," Luis said.

Mother and son both spent the night at a local hospital and were treated for various injuries.

"He is my little hero. My angel. Now I love him even more," Susana Reteguin said.

According to the family, police showed Luis a photo lineup, but he could not pick out the attacker from the pictures.

Two older siblings were also in the home at the time of the attack, but were not awakened by the commotion.